Pampanga mayor wants bird flu origin traced

SAN LUIS, Pampanga – The worst seems to be over for this town that was hit by avian flu, but Mayor Venancio Macapagal remains apprehensive over the lack of certainty on the origin of the virus that led the government to depopulate all fowls here.

“I am appealing to experts to finally trace the origin of the avian flu virus. Unless this is done, it is possible that it would again hit us in the future,” Macapagal said in a forum with the Capampangans in Media Inc. (Cami) yesterday.

Officials of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) theorized that the flu virus was brought by migratory birds. This town is a neighbor to the Candaba swamp which traditionally hosts tens of thousands of migratory birds at certain months of the year, usually starting February.

But Macapagal noted the lack of migratory birds in his town, especially in Barangay San Carlos where the outbreak was reported.

Avian flu was also found in Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija, which are not known for hosting migratory birds.

Raising and even just movement of poultry in the one-kilometer radius from Barangay San Carlos would remain banned for three months, except for sentinel birds which experts will raise in the site to ascertain whether the avian flu virus has really been contained.

At the same time, Macapagal reported that 50 more unregistered poultry raisers, who had volunteered their fowls to be culled, have been going to his office since the other day to also ask for government compensation for their culled poultry.

Last Monday, President Duterte turned over to Macapagal P20.7 million as compensation for poultry raisers whose fowls were culled as preventive measure against the spread of avian flu.

The government promised to pay them P70 per culled chicken and P10 per quail.

Macapagal also said 79 workers in 36 poultry farms where the outbreak occurred have stayed despite lack of work as they wait for government clearance for their employers to resume operations.

“They are now being assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under its food-for-work program,” he said, noting that most of the workers are not from Pampanga.

The mayor also noted that while his town is a noted producer of eggs, 80 percent of its population are into rice production. “They are mostly farmers who just happen to raise poultry in their backyards,” he said.

San Luis is a third class municipality with a population of about 60,000. Most of its P180 million yearly budget is from Internal Revenue Allocation.